


Thawing

by squire



Category: Star Wars: Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Cultural Differences, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Made-up alien biology, Misunderstandings, Pining, thranto - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 07:59:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12272217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squire/pseuds/squire
Summary: Following his long-overdue promotion, Lt. Commander Eli Vanto has one more thing to upgrade. It brings about a change he never would've expected - but it's not an unwelcome one...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FlukeOfFate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlukeOfFate/gifts).



> My first Thranto fic. Starting out a lot fluffier and a lot less angstier than I usually do in new ships :-D
> 
> Inspired by a [ beautiful art ](https://sinningsquire.tumblr.com/post/165971183891/flukeoffate-thranto-cuteness) by @flukeoffate.

Eli very nearly danced the last length of corridor to his old quarters on the  _ Thunder Wasp _ , eyes glancing every so often to his own reflection in the transparisteel viewports. Precisely, to the shiny new rank plaque of Lieutenant Commander.

Luckily, at this late hour, there was no one to reprimand him for the non-regulation spring to his steps. He would be probably called drunk - a just assumption, even if a wrong one. Eli almost regretted he didn’t go out to celebrate before he decided to drop down to the Naval Headquarters medbay. Now there were no drinks for him until the topical anesthetic wore off. His arm was already beginning to smart a little with every pull of his sleeves across the skin.

Eli walked into his quarters - small and utilitarian, like those of every junior officer in the Navy - and decided to postpone packing for early morning. Now he was too drunk on success and satisfaction, he didn’t even need a drink.

Besides, he could always celebrate properly when they got to the  _ Chimaera _ . The officer's lounge there was surely better stocked than anything their current station had to offer. An  _ I _ -class Star Destroyer. An assignment of dreams.

The door beeped and slid open. Eli didn’t need to look who it was - there was only one person with the entry code to Eli’s personal quarters. Of course Thrawn had already started packing - never one to waste an evening - and there were quite a lot of flimsi notes with scribbled-on translations that somehow found their way into Eli’s room.

Eli readjusted his new rank plaque before turning towards the door, wide grin on his face. He hadn’t even yet properly congratulated Thrawn on  _ his _ promotion, but then, Eli thought, getting a new rank stripe to his sleeve was nothing new for the Chiss.

Eli was greeted with a sight of the newly minted Commodore standing stock-still in the doorway, the line of his shoulders somehow even straighter than usual, his face wearing an expression of surprise - the clearest Eli’s ever seen on him. It was really minuscule, but for Thrawn it was equivalent to gaping.  _ Oh wow _ , Eli thought with inner exhilaration,  _ seeing me with an actual rank must be quite the shock after so much time _ . That bantha fodder pilot Gimm who taunted Eli just a few weeks ago about still being stuck as an ensign would have been picking his jaw from the floor by now.

Thrawn’s nostrils flared wide on an inhale as he finally stepped further into the room.

“Commander Vanto,” he inclined his head, slightly narrowed eyes sweeping him up and down before widening again on another deep inhale. That one lifted his shoulders a bit and tightened the fabric spanned over his broad chest. The tunic wasn’t leaving much room for deep breaths, Eli thought with a pang of long-suppressed envy. Thrawn wore his shirts fitted so closely that it looked like the slightest physical exertion would make him burst out of the seams, and Eli learned long ago not to imagine what sight would that make lest he became unprofessional on duty. But now, Thrawn’s chest was heaving as if he’d run an extra round of exercises and Eli really shouldn’t be staring–

“Commander Vanto,” Thrawn repeated, and _that was_ _new_ , Eli registered over his giddiness. Thrawn never stuttered over his words.

“You smell… differently.”

Oh. That was… Eli mentally stomped down on his hackles, refusing to let them rise. This wasn’t a smug Coruscant bully dropping remarks about a Wild Space stinkies, taunting Eli that no officer insignia could ever cover the smell of a barn. Thrawn’s observations about Eli never carried any judgement, he always meant precisely what he said. And what he was saying was… wait, what exactly could he smell? The Chiss had keener hearing, they could see infrared, what if their nose was finer too and Thrawn had been suffering all these months cramped on ships with people sweating in their uniforms,  _ stars _ , it got even to Eli sometimes and kriff, he couldn’t be smelling nice after a whole day of his nerves strung–

Eli was snapped out of his panic by another step Thrawn took, closer. Whatever Thrawn  was smelling, it couldn’t be too repulsive. Eli tried to subtly inhale his own scent but couldn’t discern anything apart from the persistent laundry detergent and… medicinal disinfection. From where they swiped his skin clean before the quick operation.

That was it? As far as Eli could remember, Thrawn had never been down to medbay - it would be pointless of him to go there, they had no medical knowledge regarding his species. And Thrawn always seemed to be in the peak of health, keeping himself fit and… that was another path Eli’s thoughts really shouldn’t be taking right now.

Eli forcibly dragged his eyes back up to meet Thrawn’s and gave a half-shrug, half-smile. “Sorry. Medbay smell can be rather clinging.”

Thrawn’s face immediately transformed to one of mild concern - another subtle shift, barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but to Eli it looked like Thrawn was going through a rollercoaster of emotions tonight.

“Are you unwell?” Thrawn asked, taking another step closer, again stopping himself as if hesitating. Eli frowned. Could the Chiss perhaps be… allergic to the antiseptic?

“No, I’m fine,” he assured Thrawn. He rolled his shoulder to demonstrate - the smarting of his arm was already subsiding, the keyhole cut healing quickly under a bacta patch. “See? It’s nothing–”

Two quick steps and Thrawn was right in his space, taking Eli’s elbow in a gentle but firm hold and his gaze zeroing on Eli’s arm as if he could see through the fabric of the uniform sleeve. Thrawn’s fingers passed over the little bump of the bandage beneath the tight uniform and Eli flinched - healing or not, the wound was still fresh, the skin around tender and further sensitized by the antiseptic.

“You’ve been hurt,” Thrawn stated, puzzled. Eyes raked over Eli, intense, taking in every detail: his unruffled hair, pristine uniform, no signs of a fight. Eli swallowed, once again grateful for his naturally darker skin to hide his blush. Being subjected to such a scrutiny long ago ceased to be a source of discomfort or embarrassment. Now it was a carefully hidden ecstasy, if for the wrong reason...

“How?”

Eli should have stepped away. But the hold Thrawn had on him felt so good - warm, safe - that he stayed put, feet locked into place. He even put his hand over Thrawn’s, in what he hoped was a calming manner, willing his fingers not to tremble, not to linger. He could take this, couldn’t he? Enjoy a little show of concern from his superior officer, from his tentative friend, pretend just for a little while that it meant more. Thrawn wouldn’t notice. His astounding observational skills fell utterly flat when it came to reading human affections, and Eli had years to practice in hiding them from him.

Thrawn’s nostrils flared wide with another laboured breath, and from this close Eli could make out the deep red of his pupil amidst the bright red glow of his irises, widening and narrowing in what must have been the rhythm of Thrawn’s heartbeat. It was so quiet Eli could hear his own heart hammering in his chest, and kriff, if he could hear it Thrawn most definitely could too. Eli needed to put some distance between them, explain that it was just a routine medical procedure and send Thrawn back to packing–

“I thought this would bring you some measure of protection,” Thrawn murmured, touching briefly the rank plaque on Eli’s chest. The remote whisper of pressure sent heat spreading under Eli’s skin, coiling low in his gut. He held his breath, afraid that if he let it out, it’d be embarrassingly loud.

“But you always told me I didn’t understand politics,” Thrawn continued, voice low but clipped, as if angry with himself. “Did I expose you instead? Have you faced resentment - jealousy - have you been attacked because of this?”

“What? No - listen, it’s not that,” Eli rushed to calm him. “Nobody hurt me, it was just a simple medical procedure. Routine treatment.”

“Oh. Vaccination shot?”

“Something like that,” Eli agreed, because his brain was too foggy fighting a losing battle with arousal to focus on the details. And then it gave up on rational thoughts entirely when Thrawn kissed him.

Thrawn. Kissed. Him. Eli’s eyes fluttered shut. Lips, cool and softer than he ever imagined they would be, briefly brushing over Eli’s unmoving ones, stunned, frozen.

“I'm glad,” a whisper against his lips and then another stolen touch, too short, as Thrawn no doubt noticed Eli’s unresponsiveness and came to a conclusion, logical and entirely wrong.

“Forgive me,” he started to pull back. “I read this incorrectly.”

That faintest tremble in that normally so flawless voice was what finally snapped Eli out of his stupor. He latched onto Thrawn’s shoulders to keep him close and chased after the kiss, blindly following the tartberry taste of those dark blue lips, not daring to open his eyes because this? This was a dream, must be. The sighing of that silky voice, the hitch in that usually so collected breathing? That was something Eli had been fantasizing about for months.

He had been addicted to the shape of Thrawn’s mouth for months, too, so feeling it part under his? Eli’s heart was beating somewhere around his throat, his breath short and shallow as if he was drowning. He was distantly aware that he was stumbling forward, knees turned to jelly and Thrawn’s strong arms around his the only thing supporting him. His head was spinning and that was just a kiss,  _ stars _ , he shouldn’t have so much to drink…

...wait. He didn’t. He didn’t drink at all at the brief cocktail party after the promotion ceremony because he already wanted to see a good surgeon while they were still planetside and alcohol would contraindicate the anesthetics.

And yet, when Eli opened his eyes, he couldn’t focus. The usually dimmed light of his quarters was suddenly unbearably bright, casting technicolor shimmer around Thrawn’s face. Oh, what a lovely face. Open like never before, shining with unguarded admiration and purpose that Eli never saw directed at himself with such intensity. Was that want? Or was it just a mirror of Eli’s, the want he could feel thrumming in his veins. His whole body throbbed and shook with a terrible need to claw at Thrawn’s immaculate uniform, to get at his skin, to see for himself if he was cool to touch everywhere, what colour he flushed, what he tasted like…

Eli wanted, and the want was making his throat go dry and his vision foggy and the small voice at the back of his mind screaming at him that this was wrong almost inconsequential. He shook his head to clear it. It  _ was _ wrong. Commodore Thrawn was still a good couple of ranks above Eli. Never once in their years together had he shown even the slightest interest in Eli as a… not like this. Thrawn had never as much as checked Eli’s ass in uniform, Eli was sure of it. And out of nothing, Eli was being kissed within an inch of his life and cool fingers were sneaking towards the clasps in Eli’s collar. Eli fought the impulse to tilts his head back to allow better access and rested his forehead against Thrawn’s chest for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

“What is this,” he breathed, not really a question. He needed affirmation, that he wasn’t about to make a terrible mistake.

Thrawn’s body temperature ran lower than human but his breath was hot on the shell of Eli’s ear, the contrast almost unbearable.

“Are you not aware? Is this your first…. ” and Thrawn hesitated, finishing in Sy Bisti. The word was not what Eli expected and for a moment he thought he must have overheard.

“Thawing?”

“Is that not a correct equivalent in your language?” Thrawn passed his fingers through Eli’s hair and Eli nuzzled his head into the gesture, rubbing his face over the rough fabric of Thrawn’s uniform and inhaling deeply. Oh stars, how had he never noticed how amazing the Chiss smelled? Whatever cologne he used, Eli was perfectly willing to breathe that to the end of his days. Damn, he was getting distracted again. Thrawn was asking something.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he confessed.

“Perhaps... “ and Thrawn offered another word, confusing Eli even more.

“Blossoming,” he translated, “and no, we don’t call our first time having sex like that, and it’s not even my–”

Eli regretted his crudeness when Thrawn suddenly pulled away, those inescapable red eyes glowing at him with a completely different kind of intensity.

“That medical procedure,” he brushed his thumb over the bandaged spot on Eli’s arm again, “did it by any chance affect your pheromones excretion levels?”

“My what?” Eli blinked. Pheromones? Did humans even have such a thing? He dimly recalled a biology lesson on some rudimentary biological functions. Pheromones were of importance with some alien species, he knew, but not really significant with humans, that’s why perfumes were invented, when human sense of smell grew too useless to pick up on his own species’ scent.

Eli simply had his subdermal birth control implant removed, in order to clear his system from the old sterilization agents before he would get a new one, like every high-ranking officer. He told Thrawn as much, in as clear terms as he could muster. It was so hard to think in the comfortable circle of Thrawn’s arms. Couldn’t they stop talking and go back to kissing?

“Birth control?”

Okay. Apparently Thrawn’s thirst for knowledge overshadowed everything else. Eli chuckled ruefully. Time for another lecture, and maybe  _ then _ they will get back to kissing.

“Everybody has one,” he explained. “So we wouldn’t knock up a civilian on shore leave or something. The ones for Cadets and junior officers are the cheap stuff though. I am glad I’m finally eligible for one without the side effects,” he giggled.

Having his libido dampened during his Academy days was fine, there was too much studying to really bemoan the lack of sex drive, which was probably why the Cadets were given these implants in the first place. Nobody wanted a place housing hundreds of teenaged youths running rampant with sexual frustration. But then he didn’t know he’d be stuck with the old implant for  _ years _ .

“So they affect your… hormone levels?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Eli was never exactly keen on biology.

“And everyone has them?”

“Well, obviously not the married ones...” but then, married officers tended to retire from active duty in the Outer Rim, where Thrawn’s assignments have been up to now. “But yeah, pretty much everyone you ever met probably had one.”

“Oh.”

And just as abruptly as it began, the crazy and wonderful dream Eli had been in for the past couple of minutes ended. Thrawn jumped -  _ jumped _ \- back to the respectful distance and when Eli, reeling from the loss, reached for him, he took one more cautious step back. It  _ hurt  _ Eli in a way he didn’t know a person  _ could _ hurt.

“I apologize. I have gravely misjudged the situation.”

And just like that, Thrawn was out. The door slid shut behind him before Eli could as much as cry out to stop him.

Eli drew a shaky breath. The heady, joyous feeling was gone, the recycled air of his quarters smelling just as stale as it always has. Vision blurring with unwanted tears, Eli stumbled a couple of steps to his bunk bed and sat down heavily, putting his head in his hands.

What the kriff has just happened?


	2. Chapter 2

Eli’s lips still tingled with the tactile memory of the kiss and it was making any attempt at calm and rational assessment of the situation a bit skewed, but he had to try.

One: Thrawn would never speak of it again and act as if nothing ever happened. Eli could envision it clearly - if there was anyone in the whole Fleet capable of pulling it off, it was Thrawn.

Two: Thrawn would pull some strings and having Eli re-assigned to another ship in order to prevent any further awkwardness. Knowing Thrawn, if he decided for this, he was probably already filling in the paperwork.

The thought had Eli springing to his feet and half way to Thrawn’s quarters before he could talk himself out of it. His eyes once again caught on the reflection of the new rank insignia plaque on his chest. Lieutenant Commander Vanto. Right. Time to take action.

Thrawn was, after all, not the only one with the entry codes to someone else’s quarters.

Eli went in without knocking, steeling himself for a rebuttal. He was ready to fight. He wasn’t ready for… nothing.

At first glance, Thrawn’s quarters were empty, and Eli’s heart sank. Then he caught the sound of running water from the ‘fresher. Eli felt his face heat - his imagination was out of bounds tonight and he really didn’t need to think of his  _ apparently not interested _ friend standing naked under the water spray.

Wandering aimlessly around the room, Eli happened upon Thrawn’s uniform. The tunic was thrown carelessly over a chair and Eli picked it up out of habit, smoothing it and folding it properly. Thrawn would have hated it if his uniform wrinkled - it wasn’t like him to be so lax with his appearance.

The water stopped. Eli realised he had his face buried in the folds of Thrawn’s tunic, breathing in his scent. It was so strong he could almost taste it on his tongue, better than the cut second rate spice he tried that one time behind the barracks, definitely more addictive. Tingles were running along his spine, and the room seemed uncharacteristically hot, Eli’s whole uniform feeling suddenly too tight and scratchy on his skin.

The door to the ‘fresher opened and Thrawn walked out, just in his undershirt and loose sleepwear pants, his arms and shoulders just as impressive as Eli remembered them from a couple of sneak peeks in the officers gym. He visibly startled when he found Eli standing by his desk, and Eli, equally embarrassed being caught fondling Thrawn’s uniform, tried to fold it and put it down as if nothing happened. Thrawn frowned.

“My apologies. I shouldn’t have left it lying about.” With that, he snatched the tunic out of Eli’s hands and threw it down the laundry chute. Eli felt bereft without exactly knowing why.

“This is the third time you apologized to me tonight and I still have no idea what for,” he said instead.

Thrawn hesitated for a moment before going back to the ‘fresher. When he emerged again, he was wrapped head to toe in a robe, tying the sash securely around his waist. The feeling of something slipping through Eli’s fingers grew stronger.

“Just explain to me what happened, and I’ll see myself out and we can put it behind us. But I want to know. Five minutes of your time. A hundred words. Don’t I deserve that at least?” Eli pleaded.

Thrawn sighed. “You deserve much more than that. Very well, I will try my best to explain.”

“That thing you mentioned… thawing?” Eli prompted.

Thrawn walked over to the viewport. Eli’s strategic training didn’t fail to notice that he deliberately kept the widest possible distance between them as he moved.

“My homeworld is an ice planet,” Thrawn started. “In order to adapt, to best survive… certain biological functions in my species evolved into a state of… winter-sleep?” Thrawn finished in Sy Bisti.

“Hibernation,” Eli corrected automatically in Basic.

“In many species, searching for a mate, or displaying sexual availability, is demanding, both time and energy wise. It is a luxury an organism cannot afford in harsh conditions. When he Chiss seek companionship, it is for a shared goal, an alliance, or some other advantage. When we form a bond, it is based on loyalty and trust. And in such cases… when the feeling of trust is deep… it unlocks the hibernating part in us that allows us to experience sexual attraction. If the sentiment is mutual, the change in one partner triggers a similar bodily response in the other as well.”

“You fall in love with your best friend,” Eli hazarded after a prolonged moment of silence. “That’s… sweet, actually. Sounds definitely more reasonable than fancying someone you just met and then spend the next couple of months trying to find out if your compatibility extends beyond the bedroom,” he added wryly.

Thrawn inclined his head, digesting this new tidbit of knowledge. “I suppose,” he agreed at last. But he wasn’t yet done with his explanations.

“You see, Commander, our species are so similar that my receptors apparently can react to human pheromones. I wasn’t aware that the majority of the Navy was on hormone suppressants. I noticed the lack of partnerships between Cadets during our Academy days and afterwards and in my ignorance I ascribed this phenomenon to the same cause as that of my own species.”

Eli was trying very hard to make sense of this. Something in there kept nagging at his mind, something important, but Thrawn’s clinical way of talking made it very hard to concentrate.

“Also, I am sorry that my negative influence on your career had the added cost of depriving you of the joys of human companionship,” Thrawn added, sounding almost ashamed.

“What?” Then Eli snorted. “Don’t worry about that, I wouldn’t be getting any even if I could. Wild Space yokel, remember?”

“Your association with me already cost you much,” Thrawn held his own.

“I never–” Eli started. One of Thrawn’s eyebrows rose. “Well, I did regret it a couple of times,” Eli amended, “but you always made it worthwhile. I don’t regret it now, Thrawn.”

He took a deep breath. The dizziness was gone, he could see bright and clear, and it was now or never. “And I don’t regret kissing you, either.”

Thrawn bowed his head, looking, for the lack of a better word, distressed.

“You are too kind, Commander Vanto, but this is where the differences between our species cannot be overlooked. Our pheromones may have similar chemical structure but mine obviously are much stronger. I have mistaken your current condition for a sign of interest and my body responded accordingly, and in turn you… it wasn’t your clear-headed consent that made you welcome my advances.”

Oh. Eli blinked. So that was the sudden, overwhelming love-drunkenness that had befallen him before. But Thrawn was wrong on one account.

“You think it was just the way you smelled that made me go for it?” Eli began walking towards Thrawn, slow but purposeful.

“You should not be around me, not this close.”

“You just showered,” Eli reminded him. “All I can smell now is regulation soap. And yes, ten minutes ago I could swear the angels on the moons of Iego were blue, but that’s certainly not a recent development.”

Thrawn was watching him warily but thankfully wasn’t stepping away. Eli came to a halt before him. If he extended his hand a little, they would touch.

“Your behavior never indicated–”

“I was an Ensign, Thrawn,” Eli sighed. “By the time I realized how I felt about you, you were too many ranks above me to risk it. And this?” he touched the place on his arm where the implant had been. “This might have kept me from  _ needing _ , but it certainly didn’t keep me from  _ wanting _ .”

He lifted his hand, proud that it shook only a little. Tracing his fingertips along Thrawn’s sharp cheekbones, watching his eyelids grow heavy - this was the most daring, most rewarding game he ever played.

“You said this… thawing occurs when the compatibility is mutual. You wouldn’t have reacted to me if you hadn’t wanted it too, is that right?”

A slight shift of Thrawn’s head under Eli’s palm: a nod. Eli cupped the side of a strong jaw, heart fluttering at the way Thrawn tilted his head, chasing the touch, just like Eli did before. It occurred to Eli that he wasn’t the only one lonely in those past few years.

“Tell me, strategist,” Eli grinned. “What does a warrior do when the field is cleared, all traps exposed and all enemy intentions known and neutralized?”

Thrawn’s eyes sparkled. “In that case,” he leaned closer, “the warrior advances.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. Apparently my headcanon is that the Chiss are all blue demisexuals. 
> 
> For more Star Wars nonsense look me up on [Tumblr!](https://sinningsquire.tumblr.com/)


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